5 Month Old Freaking Out

[tea_leaf 0]

Hello All,

 

I am a new member and what has prompted me to become one is that I need help.

 

Background: I own a white budgie, bought from a very good breeder in my home town. I have had him since he was 5 or 6 weeks. I feed Jack fresh food and and a budgie seed mix recommended by the breeder I bought him off. He is in a cage that is (approx.) 1.2m H, 1m L,.5m D.

 

The day he changed: My budgie was lovely, he would step up, hop on anyones shoulder, talk merrily and was inquisitive about everything. That was until a week ago. It was as if I put to bed my happy little birdie and then woke up this worried little creature who is scared of everything. The day he changed my mum destroyed his fave toy because she saw that he had got it on his head (a toilet roll on a shoe string) and did not get out of it. This was before I woke up, that day I also moved his toys around a bit because I kno you have to change them to keep a budgie stimulated. Nothing in the house has changed. His cage is in the same place (lounge room), there are no pets in the house to scare Jack, there has been no new food that he has never had before added to his diet.

 

Now: I can get him to step onto my finger but he does not like being there, he will go onto my shoulder like he used to but not in the same manor, it is more to get off the finger. At the slightest movement he jumps off, makes this "Im really scared noise", gets as soon as he can get onto the ground, jumps sme more, and runs into a corner of the house. I am able to get him back on my finger after a while of coaxing but the thing is he is scared, ALWAYS scared. I have tried leaving him to his own devices to see maybe he wants to be alone or something, he doesn't really move out of the corner. At the moment I just got and pick him up with soothing words and very slow movements. Nothing seems to help that I can think of and when he jumps he hurts himeslf, he is loosing feathers and twice now he has bled from where they were.

 

I cried today when he did this, I feel so helpless and I don't know how to help the little guy. He was so happy and now he has no trust in anything. Please, if there is anything that can help me help my budgie I want to know about.

 

Thanks,

 

Caitlin

[birdluv 0]

Sounds to me like he is going through a molt. When budgies are going through a molt, they are often moody and their behaviour may change while going through the molt.

How many hours do you cover his cage for?

 

l noticed this is your first post, welcome to the forums

Edited July 26, 2009 by birdluv

[**Liv** 0]

Hello and welcome!

 

I agree with Birdluv... is he moulting?? do you see more lose feathers around his cage... or are there pin feathers coming through on his head??

 

He may have been very VERY attached to that toy... is it possible a new one (that is safer) be added?? Budgies to bond to objects and he may be feeling quite put out that his favorite possession was taken. Also remove any mirrors he may have in his cage.

[tea_leaf 0]

Hello,

 

Thank you for your replies, yes he is moulting. He has new feather shafts on his head and I hope new feathers are coming on his wings. He gets 12 hrs of his cage covered at night, pretty much sun up and sun down. Maybe 1-2 hours more some mornings.

 

I have just given him a new toy yesterday so I hope this will compensate a little bit.

 

Thank you so much!

 

Caitlin